3 dates, walking, talking, going out to eat….
Please pick one! Tell me why you made this choice.
John William Godward – The tambourine girl
her
Anne Girodet – Autumn
or her
Hazel Brooks
or 
Louise Brooks
Bonus: describe what you would do (ideally) on your date
I just entered to win a trip to Northern Iceland.
I hope I win!!
I also sent the entry form to a few friends & family, if they win they can take me!
I plan on going in the next 5 years but hopefully I won’t have to pay for the trip!!! :)
Buzz kill.
I had lots of great hooping to my custom made Sunday hoop soundtrack, lots of Prince, etc…
Then I decided to tape myself with my video camera! God, I’m such a low level intermediate hooper!
I have so far to go!
I might even be an advanced beginner! Ugh!
It was good for me to ‘look’ but a little bit sad at the same time. Many hours of hooping done -CHECK!
With hoop
It looks a little stiff, but keep in mind, this guy wasn’t really hooping. I just added a hoop!
PICTURE: I added a hoop to this girl in Horse pose so that you get the idea.
I’ve been trying this today. It’s not the first time.
There are so many yoga moves that you can add a hoop to!
Horse pose, with hoop around your waist
*Chair pose, hoop around your waist
*Mountain pose, hoop around your neck
*Warrior pose, holding hoop with front arm
*Triangle pose, holding hoop up
You can do isolations while in horse pose.
*Forward bend with hoop in hand, placing the hoop on the floor, back stretch with hoop over your head….it’s very fun!
Here is a photo taken at a recent music festival (Coachella)
of a hooper. Join me for another month of hula hooping daily or whenever you can make it into your hoop!
Why Hoop?
It’s a fantastic avenue for self expression
A great way to get up off your arse and get active
You can’t help but smile and feel good while hooping
You will radiate sensuality
Great way to meet others
Addictive
Playful
Fun fun fun and did i also mention fun?!!?
Want more inspiration?
Benefits
Brings about irrepressible laughter and smiles
Infuses the body with energy
Enhances creativity
Inspires confidence
Increased balance and coordination
Boosts endurance
Promotes cardiovascular health
Speeds weight loss
Strengthens abdominal
Sculpts thighs, buttocks and arms
Boosts libido
Builds core strength
Relieves stress
Enhances flexibility
Revives and centers the mind, body and soul
9. By staying home instead of going out
I have actually always liked staying home. I remember I used to walk to the video store in the winter, I would pick out one foreign film, one documentary & one trashy or silly movie. I would go home, make food, or maybe have some wine. Having a cat at the time made being at home more fun too! Now I live with someone, that makes being at home really nice. Everything is cheaper when you do it at home, movies, food, drinks etc. I also save on gas & stay off the roads at times when there are more drunk drivers out. Saving money by not going out is a nice side benefit, but the real reason I like staying home is that I conserve my energy & get more rest.
10. Shop selectively at thrift stores
We all know that you can save money by buying things at thrift stores. There is also a tendency to buy too much because things are cheaper. You can also buy things you don’t need that add extra clutter! Because I have had to cut way back on ‘extra’ stuff, I’m much more careful and discerning at the thrift store. I won’t buy anything that ‘needs work’, or that has a stain, or crack & nothing from China! It should be almost perfect & the right price, and something that I need. I know a guy that doesn’t have a job, lives in an RV and can’t stop buying ‘good’ stuff at the thrift store. The great stuff he has is such a huge burden on him, he has no room in his home!
11. Not having an animal
This is bittersweet. I would actually rather have an animal. Not having an animal has made it easier though for me to keep the house clean (cat hair, litter box etc) and has also saved me money. For the most part, cats do not need to cost a lot, until they get sick (if you take proper care of them). I had a cat that was sick for a while and it was a few thousand dollars (the vet gave me a good price or it would have been more). Worth every penny…but I’m taking a break from that for a while, it’s been better for me financially.
12. Skip the travel
Another bittersweet one. If I compare myself to almost everyone in my family, I don’t travel much. They are always travelling, maybe one trip a month each! I don’t know how they do it! I am going on a trip soon to see some family, I haven’t traveled in a year or so. I make myself do it an always have fun, it’s important for me to go sometimes because it’s not fair to just make my family come to me all the time. For the most part though I skip the travel. I don’t need to be a ‘jet setter’ and whirl around the globe every other month. I don’t need to fly fish in the Caribbean, ski in Canada, drink beer in Nova Scotia, you get the point.
I want to keep finding new ways to save money & have fun while doing it.
1. Cutting my own hair.
I have been doing this for at least a few years. It all happened when my hairdresser overslept for our appointment, she charges $80 by the way. I left the shop upset (they didn’t offer me any alternative) and went right to Sally Beauty Supply where I purchased a pair of haircutting scissors for about $15.
2. Highlighting my own hair
I was going at least once or twice a year to get my hair “foiled”. My very kind hair colorist had a stroke & was no longer able to do hair. I probably payed at least $70 per appointment. I have stopped getting my hair colored professionally. I let the “foils” grow out. I have used honey and olive oil, the sun & cinnamon rinses to add highlights. People bug me all the time because they want to know where I got my hair done. It’s natural but better looking than my hair would look if I didn’t do anything (flat boring dark blond),.
3. Found The Right Cell phone service
I had an iPhone (none of these phones are a necessity I know) and now I have a Nexus Galaxy. I am able to have unlimited internet, texting and 100 minutes of cell phone use for $30 a a month. I think that’s a bargain. If anyone knows of something that’s better please let me know! :)
4. Eliminate my land line
This one made me sad. I would actually rather have a land line & an old fashioned phone and skip the cell phone. My sweetie made this choice for us and we are saving money.
5. Skip cable TV
I have never been a big fan of having cable TV. I really do love HBO but otherwise, I don’t miss it.
6. Live Closer To Work
We moved and now live 3/4 of a mile from work. This means we can walk to work most days and walk home saving gas, insurance & meter money (this is a big one!). It also means I can get some exercise and move my lymph which I think is sluggish without a little walking.
7. Cancelled my Water Delivery Service.
It was $5 a bottle for 2-3 bottles…I think it was every other week. I cancelled it. Now we have pretty glass jugs that we fill at the local market. It costs about $3 for 3 jugs, we fill them every week or two.
8. Make my own Hummus
I found a recipe for Roasted Red Pepper hummus. It’s so good! Making it is so easy and much cheaper than buying it already made. I buy one big can of garbanzo beans and 1 red pepper. The whole thing is a wonderful addition to two meals! It would probably be even cheaper if I just cooked my own beans first. I haven’t tried that yet.
I made regular hummus last night & added 6 calamata olives, it was SO delicious!!
It will be April 20 through May 20th!
It could be something about May Day, or anything else!
Give me some ideas! :)
First day of summer
Festival of Flora
Beltane
May Day is related to the Celtic festival of Beltane and the Germanic festival of Walpurgis Night. May Day falls exactly half a year from November 1, another cross-quarter day which is also associated with various northern European pagan and the year in the Northern hemisphere, and it has traditionally been an occasion for popular and often raucous celebrations.
As Europe became Christianized, the pagan holidays lost their religious character and either changed into popular secular celebrations, as with May Day, or were merged with or replaced by new Christian holidays as with Christmas, Easter, Pentecost and All Saint’s Day. In the twentieth and continuing into the twenty-first century, many neopagans began reconstructing the old traditions and celebrating May Day as a pagan religious festival again.
In the Roman Catholic tradition, May is observed as Mary’s month, and in these circles May Day is usually a celebration of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
In this connection, in works of art, school skits, and so forth, Mary’s head will often be adorned with flowers in a May crowning. Fading in popularity since the late 20th century is the giving of “May baskets,” small baskets of sweets and/or flowers, usually left anonymously on neighbours’ doorsteps.[2]
While February 1 was the first day of Spring, May 1 was the first day of summer; hence, the summer solstice on June 25 (now June 21)
was Midsummer.May blossom, the flower of the May tree…
Neil Diamond song is surprisingly fun to hoop to (or maybe only if you are a total nerd :P).
I practiced paddling which eluded me for most of my hooping life until today.
I also did lots of arm stuff that I’m surprised I have the strength to do. I did build up some interesting arm strength in the past two years. Loving my heavy hoop:)
Get a massage daily or be cooked for daily
Be able to make people laugh, or make people agree with you?
Drink wine daily for 10 years or not have any every day for 10 years?
Have sex 1x a month for 10 years or 1x a day for 10 years?
Would you rather be fired with unemployment or quit and not have it?
Would you rather sunbathe at the beach or soak in a hot tub in Vail?
Would you rather have an injured knee or shoulder?
Would you rather have ringing in the ears or a pain in your heel?
Would you rather be broke and full of love (loved) or be rich and have lots of animals that love you (no humans though!).
Choose your idea hair color
Choose the ideal hair color for your mate, you can choose 2 if you like.
I’m working my way through The Best Of Hall & Oats and hooping along to each song.
For me this is GREAT hooping music. I change the style with each song. I’m all hot and sweaty now and taking a break!
My arms are much stronger & I’m able to hold my heavy hoop steady during all kinds of moves. It seemed like I was just about to get leg hooping today. I really having tried much because it usually hits the couch.
A friend of mine is a yoga teacher & he’s an awesome guy. I just found out today that his studio posts yoga videos weekly and there are hundreds of full classes you can watch for only $15 per month (unlimited!)
I’m going to sign up for 1 month to show my support and see him do his thing. My coworker does it an likes how convenient it is to have a class online, in your livingroom (great for new mom’s or home bodies!).
Let me know if you want the link for the studio, you can get started.
Great tips! I didn’t do the meditation (first part) but I did all of the face exercises. It looks like she also has lots of other really helpful videos.
Lunch
Today. Lots of plank poses. Quite a bit of stomach work.
The class seemed to work all of the not so good feelings out of my joints and body. Yoga seriously helps me feel good being in my body the rest of the day.
I was really really hungry and happily ate all of my Sunday lunch (seafood saltado with rice, and fries)
I changed the picture. I don’t think anyone wants to look at that big plate of food when they are thinking about yoga…or maybe they do?
